Programs & Events
NOTE: All forthcoming meetings will be held on Zoom unless noted otherwise.
Click on the event to get details on how to get your tickets.
The California Writers Club offers a multitude of activities and programs for its members and for the public.
Writers Groups
Our ongoing Critique Groups help writers practice and polish their craft. We have a climate action group, the Wolf Pack Writers, and a poetry group, Poetrope. See Groups for more info.
Speaker Programs
Our informative and interesting Speaker Programs are the focus of our monthly Meetings. These meetings are open to the public.
Workshops
We also offer monthly Workshops for writers by professionals, with special rates for members.
Contests
Two annual Contests: the 5th Grade Writing Contest and the Write On! Story Contest (formerly the WestSide Story Contest), celebrate local writers. Occasionally we hold a poetry contest at year’s end as well.
Our contests are currently on hiatus. If you’d be interested to help organize the next one, please contact us.
Conferences
We promote various Writers Conferences and our members can get discounts to several.
Recent Events
We also have a more concise list of past speakers.
“Ink Flow and Focus” with Bronwyn Emery on October 15th, 2023
The Secret to Productive Writing Sessions Writing in the company of other writers can have unexpected and extraordinary results, including the banishment of procrastination, the silencing of the inner editor, and the elimination of that hesitancy that hits when it’s time to work on a challenging passage. The prevailing belief is that it takes isolation…
“Writing as Play” with Jorjeana Marie on September 17th, 2023
Have Fun and Boost your Productivity with Playful Approaches to Writing If you are like many other writers and occasionally get stuck or feel uninspired with a formerly passionate project, you might consider approaching the task of writing in a fun new way. In this interactive workshop, television writer and award-winning voice actress, Jorjeana Marie, will share…
CWC Annual Showcase LIVE @ CLIOS BOOKS June 17, 2023
This June, we’re doubly excited to be doing a LIVE author showcase this year, and to be doing it at a soon-to-launch bookstore in the heart of Oakland! This annual event gives us the opportunity to celebrate our members who have published books in the past 2 years. We all work hard to get our…
Writing Punchy Dialogue: a Workshop with Terry Tierney
Crisp dialogue makes a story come alive. In the best fiction, what characters say is often what we remember the most. Writing dialogue is more than recording the casual comments your characters might share. Through their words, characters reveal their emotions and move the story forward. To be effective, dialogue should be well honed and…
“Building Your Author Platform” with Jay Hartlove on May 21st, 2023
You’ve written and published your book. Congratulations! What tools should you use to not only reach your audience, but build a loyal fan base that can translate your efforts into SALES? Come discuss the important business practices of advertising, web sites, email newsletters, social media, and making appearances with genre writer Jay Hartlove. About Jay…
How to Pitch to a Literary Agent and Have Fun Doing It
Tuesday, April 25 · 12 – 1p.m. In this brown-bag one hour presentation, there will be demos from the organizers of Pitch-o-Rama, the annual literary pitch event in San Francisco. Have you ever wanted to pitch your novel to a literary agent, but were afraid you would not know what to say? This special event…